JP6164223B2 - Communication system, control device, communication device, billing server, communication method, and program - Google Patents

Description

(Description of related applications)
The present invention is based on the priority claim of Japanese patent application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-074917 (filed on March 28, 2012), and the entire description of the application is incorporated herein by reference. Shall.
The present invention relates to a communication system, a control device, a communication device, a communication method, and a program, and more particularly, to a communication system, a control device, a communication device, a communication method, and a program in a network that is centrally controlled by the control device.

  In recent years, a technique called OpenFlow has been proposed (see Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). OpenFlow captures communication as an end-to-end flow and performs path control, failure recovery, load balancing, and optimization on a per-flow basis. The OpenFlow switch specified in Non-Patent Document 2 includes a secure channel for communication with the OpenFlow controller, and operates according to a flow table that is appropriately added or rewritten from the OpenFlow controller. In the flow table, for each flow, a set of a match field (Match Fields) in which conditions for matching with the packet header are determined, statistical information (Counters), and an instruction (Instructions) that defines the processing content is defined. (See FIG. 16).

  For example, when the OpenFlow switch receives a packet (“data packet” in FIG. 17), the OpenFlow switch searches the flow table for an entry having a match field that matches the header information of the received packet. As a result of the search, when an entry that matches the received packet is found, the OpenFlow switch updates the statistical information (counter) and processes the process (designated port) described in the instruction field of the entry for the received packet. Packet transmission, flooding, discarding, etc.). On the other hand, if no entry that matches the received packet is found as a result of the search, the OpenFlow switch requests the OpenFlow controller to set an entry, that is, determines the processing content of the received packet, via the secure channel. The request is transmitted (“Packet-In” in FIG. 17). The OpenFlow switch receives the flow entry corresponding to the request and updates the flow table (“FlowMod” in FIG. 17). In this way, the OpenFlow switch performs packet transfer using the entry stored in the flow table as a processing rule.

International Publication No. 2008/095010

Nick McKeown and 7 others, “OpenFlow: Enabling Innovation in Campus Networks,” [online], [October 31, 2011 search], Internet <URL: http: // www. openflowswitch. org // documents / openflow-wp-latest. pdf> “OpenFlow Switch Specification” Version 1.1.0 Implemented (Wire Protocol 0x02) [searched October 31, 2011], Internet <URL: http: // www. openflowswitch. org / documents / openflow-spec-v1.1.0. pdf>

  The entire disclosure of the above patent documents and non-patent documents is incorporated herein by reference. The following analysis is given by the present invention. The OpenFlow switches of Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 are based on the hard timeout value and idle timeout value set for each flow. When reception is established, the flow entry is deleted (see “Timeout” in FIG. 17, 5.7 FLOW Removal in Non-Patent Document 2).

Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose deletion of a flow entry based on a timer, but flow control cannot be flexibly performed only by deletion using a timer.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, based on a processing rule set by a control device, a packet processing unit that processes a packet corresponding to the processing rule, and a statistical value obtained from a processing amount by the processing rule A transfer processing unit for measuring, and a processing rule management unit for determining whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the statistical value and the determination condition, wherein the processing rule management unit updates the determination condition Accordingly, a communication device is provided that determines whether the processing rule is valid according to the updated determination condition.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a packet corresponding to the processing rule is processed based on a processing rule set by a control device, a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule is measured, Determining whether or not the processing rule is valid based on a statistical value and a determination condition; and determining whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the updated determination condition according to an update of the determination condition; A communication control method is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system including a control device that generates a packet processing rule and a communication device, wherein the communication device is based on a processing rule set by the control device. A packet processing unit that processes a packet corresponding to the processing rule, a transfer processing unit that measures a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule, and the processing rule based on the statistical value and the determination condition. A processing rule management unit that determines whether or not the processing rule is valid, and the processing rule management unit determines whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the updated determination condition in response to the update of the determination condition A communication system is provided.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, based on a processing rule set by a control device, a communication device that processes a packet corresponding to the processing rule measures a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule. Based on the statistical value and the determination condition, a process for determining whether or not the processing rule is valid, and the processing rule is effective according to the updated determination condition according to the update of the determination condition. And a program for executing a process for determining whether or not.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing rule is effective in comparison with a first means for generating a packet processing rule and transmitting it to a communication device, and a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule. Based on the second means for transmitting the determination condition for determining whether or not to the communication device and the predetermined information transmitted by the communication device, the determination condition is updated and transmitted to the communication device. And a control device comprising a third means.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention,
The control unit generates packet processing rules,
Sending the processing rules to a communication device;
A predetermined determination condition for determining whether or not the processing rule is valid in comparison with a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule, is transmitted to the communication device;
A communication control method is provided in which the determination condition is updated based on predetermined information transmitted by the communication device, and the updated determination condition is transmitted to the communication device.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention,
To the control device that controls the communication device that processes the packet,
Processing to generate a packet processing rule and send it to the communication device;
Processing for transmitting a predetermined determination condition for determining whether or not the processing rule is valid in comparison with a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule to the communication device;
A process of updating the determination condition based on predetermined information transmitted by the communication device and transmitting it to the communication device;
A program is provided to execute
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention,
A billing server for managing communication device contract information,
A packet processing rule is transmitted to the communication device, and a predetermined determination condition for determining whether the processing rule is valid or not is compared with a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule. A first means for communicating with the transmitting control device;
Second means for receiving information for updating the contract information from the communication device;
A charging server comprising: a third means for transmitting the updated contract information to the control device and causing the control device to update the determination condition in order to cause the control device to update the determination condition; Provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to flexibly control flow based on a packet processing amount by determining whether or not a processing rule is valid based on a packet processing amount and a predetermined determination condition and making the determination condition updatable. Can be executed.

It is a figure showing the example of a structure of the communication system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the process rule which the packet forwarding node of one Embodiment hold | maintains. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the packet forwarding node which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure showing the example of a structure of the communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the example of composition of the control device of a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the packet forwarding node of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the table which the packet forwarding node of 1st Embodiment hold | maintains. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the operation example of the communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure showing the example of a structure of the communication system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the communication apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a structural example of the table which the communication apparatus of 2nd Embodiment hold | maintains. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the operation example of the communication system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the control apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a structural example of the table which the packet forwarding node of 4th Embodiment hold | maintains. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the flow entry which the open flow switch of a nonpatent literature 2 hold | maintains. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining an operation example from setting of a flow entry to deletion by timeout in Non-Patent Document 2.

  First, an outline of an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a communication terminal 30, packet transfer nodes 20-1 to 20-3 that realize communication of the communication terminal 30, and a control device 10 that controls the packet transfer node 20. Note that the reference numerals of the drawings attached to this summary are attached to the respective elements for convenience as an example for facilitating understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiment.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the processing rule 100 held by the packet forwarding node 20 of FIG. FIG. 2 is an example, and the configuration of the processing rule 100 is not limited to the configuration example of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the processing rule 100 has a matching field (Match Field). When receiving the packet, the packet forwarding node 20 refers to the matching field and searches for a processing rule 100 that matches the received packet. When the processing rule 100 that matches the received packet is found, the packet forwarding node 20 processes the packet according to the instruction (Instruction) of the processing rule 100. Further, the packet forwarding node 20 updates the statistical information (Counter) of the processing rule 100 according to the processing of the received packet.

  On the other hand, when the processing rule 100 matching the received packet is not found, the packet forwarding node 20 requests the control device 10 to set the processing rule. Note that the packet forwarding node 20 may request the control device 10 to set a processing rule based on the processing rule that defines the processing content for requesting the processing rule from the control device 10.

  In one embodiment, processing rule 100 has an expiration rule. As the revocation condition, for example, a threshold value indicating a statistical value that can be processed according to the processing rule is set. The revocation condition is, for example, the number of packets or the number of bytes that can be processed according to the processing rule. Of course, as in the case of Non-Patent Document 2, the revocation condition may set a time-out value for determining whether a certain period of time has elapsed after the setting of the processing rule, or that a corresponding packet has not been received for a certain period.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the packet forwarding node 20 according to the embodiment. The packet forwarding node 20 includes a forwarding processing unit 21 that processes a packet using a processing rule that matches the received packet. In response to the reception of the packet, the transfer processing unit 21 searches the table database (table DB) 22 for a processing rule 100 that matches the received packet, and when the processing rule 100 that matches the received packet is found, the processing rule 100 The received packet is processed according to the instructions. On the other hand, when a processing rule that matches the received packet is not found, the transfer processing unit 21 requests the processing rule for processing the received packet from the control device 10. In addition, when the processing content for making an inquiry to the control device 10 is defined in the processing rule 100 that matches the received packet, the transfer processing unit 21 may make an inquiry to the control device 10 according to the processing rule.

  The transfer processing unit 21 may be realized, for example, using a mechanism similar to the open flow switch of Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  The communication unit 25 is means for realizing communication with the control device 10 that sets a processing rule in the packet forwarding node 20.

  The transfer processing unit 21 measures a statistical value based on statistical information (Counters) of processing rules updated according to packet processing. The transfer processing unit 21 measures a statistical value corresponding to packet processing according to a predetermined processing rule. In one embodiment, the statistical value is a traffic corresponding to a packet processed according to a predetermined processing rule. The statistical value is, for example, the number of packets or the number of bytes that can be processed according to the processing rule.

  The transfer processing unit 21 may measure a statistical value obtained from the amount of packets processed by each of a plurality of processing rules. The transfer processing unit 21 may measure a statistical value obtained from a packet processing amount according to a processing rule that matches a predetermined condition among a plurality of processing rules held by the packet transfer node 20. Further, the transfer processing unit 21 can measure the communication amount of the packet forwarding node 20 by measuring a statistical value obtained from the packet processing amount by each of a plurality of processing rules.

  The packet forwarding node 20 includes a table DB 22 that stores processing rules. The table DB 22 is constituted by, for example, a database that can store one or more tables referred to when the transfer processing unit 21 processes received packets.

  The packet forwarding node 20 includes a processing rule management unit 23 that manages processing rules.

  The processing rule management unit 23 deletes or expires the processing rule based on the revocation condition. For example, when a statistical value indicated in statistical information (Counters) exceeds a threshold value set in the invalidation condition of the processing rule, the processing rule is invalidated (for example, the processing rule is deleted or invalidated). The processing rule management unit 23 compares the statistical value obtained from the processing amount of the packet by each of the plurality of processing rules with each revocation condition corresponding to each processing rule, and the statistical value is found in a certain revocation condition. If they match, the processing rule corresponding to the revocation condition is invalidated (for example, the processing rule is deleted or expired). Further, when the statistical value matches the revocation condition, the processing rule management unit 23 may rewrite the packet processing defined by the processing rule corresponding to the revocation condition to a process of discarding the packet. That is, the processing rule management unit 23 determines whether each processing rule is valid based on the statistical value.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule based on an instruction to update the revocation condition. For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 updates a threshold value indicating a statistical value that can be processed according to the processing rule. For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 updates the number of packets or the number of bytes that can be processed according to the processing rule. The revocation condition management unit 24 may receive a processing rule in which the revocation condition is updated from the control device 10 and set the processing rule including the updated revocation condition in the table DB 22.

  The revocation condition management unit 24 may newly set a revocation condition when the revocation condition of the processing rule is not set. Further, the revocation condition management unit 24 may update the revocation condition of the processing rule that has already expired, validate the processing rule, and resume processing of the received packet based on the processing rule.

  The revocation condition management unit 24 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule, and maintains statistical information (Counter) of the processing rule. That is, even if the revocation condition is updated, the revocation condition management unit 24 maintains the statistical information measured until the revocation condition is updated without being updated. Therefore, the transfer processing unit 21 can continuously measure statistical information even when the revocation condition is updated.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 receives a revocation condition update instruction from the control device 10. Of course, it is not limited to the control device 10 that instructs the revocation condition management unit 24 to update the revocation condition, and may be, for example, an external server (not shown in FIG. 1). The revocation condition management unit 24 may set a new revocation condition in the table DB 22 by receiving, for example, a processing rule with an updated revocation condition from the control device 10.

  The processing rule management unit 23 determines whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the updated revocation condition and statistical information. For example, when the processing rule management unit 23 determines that the processing rule is not valid due to the revocation condition, the processing rule management unit 23 deletes or invalidates the processing rule.

  According to the above configuration, the packet forwarding node 20 can update the revocation condition that determines whether or not the processing rule is valid. As a result, the packet forwarding node 20 can flexibly delete or invalidate the processing rule, and can perform flexible flow control based on the traffic.

  Although the example in which the packet forwarding node 20 deletes or invalidates the processing rule based on the traffic volume has been shown, the communication terminal 30 may delete or invalidate the processing rule based on the traffic volume. The same applies to the embodiments described below. Note that the communication terminal 30 is, for example, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a mobile router, or the like. The present invention can be applied to communication devices such as the packet forwarding node 20 and the communication terminal 30.

  The communication terminal 30 has a configuration similar to that of the packet forwarding node 20, for example, as in the configuration example of FIG.

  The communication terminal 30 holds the processing rule 100 set from the control device 10 and processes the packet based on the processing rule 100. The communication terminal 30 holds the processing rule 100 including the revocation condition, and deletes or revokes the processing rule 100 based on the revocation condition.

  Although the configuration example in which the revocation condition is included in the processing rule 100 is shown, the revocation condition may be set in the packet forwarding node 20 separately from the processing rule 100. The packet forwarding node 20 may include, for example, a table (not shown in FIG. 3) for setting a revocation condition separately from the flow table 22.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration example according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the system according to the first embodiment includes a communication terminal 30, packet forwarding nodes 20-1 to 20-3 that realize communication of the communication terminal 30, and packet forwarding nodes 20-1 to 20-. And a control device 10 for controlling each of the three. The communication system according to the first embodiment includes a server 40 and a charging server 50.

  The accounting server 50 is a device that manages a contract related to communication of the communication terminal 30 in the first embodiment. For example, the billing server 50 manages contract information according to the communication volume of the communication terminal 30. For example, the communication terminal 30 pays a communication fee corresponding to a predetermined communication amount and contracts with the billing server 50. If communication exceeds the predetermined communication amount, an additional communication fee needs to be paid. Suppose there is.

  For example, when the user of the communication terminal 30 communicates exceeding a predetermined communication amount specified in the contract, the user pays an additional fee corresponding to the additional communication amount to the charging server 50 (payment method is a prepaid method, a credit card) Any method such as online / offline etc.). The billing server 50 updates the contract information of the communication terminal 30 by paying the additional fee, and increases the communication allowable amount of the communication terminal 30.

  The accounting server 50 may reduce the communication allowable amount of the communication terminal 30. For example, the billing server 50 may reduce the communication allowable amount of the communication terminal 30 when the rate of increase in the communication amount of the communication terminal 30 per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold value. By reducing the allowable communication amount, the billing server 50 can suppress communication of a user (that is, a heavy user) who occupies an excessive communication band of the communication system, and can stabilize the communication system.

  The accounting server 50 notifies the control apparatus 10 of the contract information in response to the contract information being set or updated. The billing server 50 may set a new revocation condition from the contract information and directly transmit the set revocation condition to the packet forwarding node 20.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the control device 10 in FIG. The control device 10 includes an invalidation condition management unit 11, a communication terminal location management unit 12, a topology management unit 13, a control message processing unit 14, a route / action calculation unit 15, a packet forwarding node management unit 16, and a processing A rule management unit 17, a processing rule database 18, and a node communication unit 19 are included.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 11 sets the upper limit of the statistical value for each processing rule or for each combination of a communication source and destination (each managed by a MAC (Media Access Control) address, IP (Internet Protocol) address, etc.)). Manage revocation conditions including values (thresholds). Note that when managing by a combination of a transmission source and a destination, either the transmission source or the destination may be a wild card, that is, an arbitrary one. As the revocation condition, in addition to the above-described statistical values, various timeout values may be set. For example, if a timeout value (hard timeout value, idle timeout value) is set separately from the statistical value, even if the statistical value does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, a processing rule after a certain period of time can be deleted. it can.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 11 sets or updates the revocation condition of the processing rule stored in the processing rule database 18 in response to the notification of the contract information from the charging server 50.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 11 determines the amount of data that can be communicated by the communication terminal 30 based on the contract information notified from the charging server 50. For example, the revocation condition management unit 11 determines the data amount as 100 Mbytes. The revocation condition management unit 11 sets the determined data amount as the revocation condition of the processing rule.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 11 updates a threshold value indicating a statistical value that can be processed according to the processing rule. The threshold is, for example, the number of packets or the number of bytes that can be processed according to the processing rule. For example, the revocation condition management unit 11 sets the communication amount corresponding to the contract information as the revocation condition of the processing rule in response to the notification of the update of the contract information from the billing server 50.

  When a plurality of revocation conditions are set, the revocation condition management unit 11 may update each of the plurality of revocation conditions separately. For example, when two values, a statistical value and a timeout value, are set as the invalidation condition, the invalidation condition management unit 11 may update only the statistical value or the timeout value, or update both the statistical value and the timeout value. May be. The revocation condition management unit 11 notifies the route / action calculation unit 15 of the contents of the update in response to updating the revocation condition.

  The communication terminal position management unit 12 manages information for specifying the position of the communication terminal 30 connected to the communication system. For example, the communication terminal position management unit 12 manages the position of the communication terminal 30 based on information for identifying the packet forwarding node 20 to which the communication terminal 30 is connected and information on its port.

  The topology management unit 13 constructs network topology information based on the connection relationship of the packet forwarding nodes 20 collected via the node communication unit 19. When the topology information changes, the topology management unit 13 notifies the route / action calculation unit 15 of the change of the topology information, and causes the route / action calculation unit 15 to reset the existing processing rule. Also good.

  The control message processing unit 14 analyzes the control message received from the packet forwarding node 20 and delivers the control message information to the corresponding processing means in the control device 10.

  The route / action calculation unit 15 calculates a packet transfer route based on the location information of the communication terminal 30 managed by the communication terminal location management unit 12 and the topology information managed by the topology management unit 13. Have means. Further, the route / action calculation unit 15 refers to the information of each packet forwarding node 20 managed by the packet forwarding node management unit 16 (for example, capability information of each packet forwarding node 20), and each packet forwarding node It functions as a means for obtaining the processing content (action) to be executed by 20. Further, the route / action calculation unit 15 refers to the revocation condition for each processing rule managed by the revocation condition management unit 11 and functions as means for determining a value to be set in the revocation condition field of each processing rule. To do.

  The route / action calculation unit 15 checks whether or not the processing rule is set in the packet forwarding node 20 in response to the revocation condition management unit 11 updating the revocation condition of the processing rule. When the processing rule is set in the packet forwarding node 20, the route / action calculation unit 15 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule. On the other hand, when the processing rule is not set in the packet forwarding node 20, the route / action calculation unit 15 creates a processing rule including the updated revocation condition, and sends it to the packet forwarding node 20 corresponding to the created processing rule. Notice.

  The packet forwarding node management unit 16 manages the capabilities (for example, the number and type of ports, the type of supported action, etc.) of each packet forwarding node 20 to be managed.

  The processing rule management unit 17 manages processing rules set in the packet forwarding node 20. The processing rule management unit 17 stores the result calculated by the route / action calculation unit 15 in the processing rule database 18 as a processing rule. Further, the processing rule management unit 17 updates the contents of the processing rule database 18 when the processing rule set in the packet forwarding node 20 is changed based on the processing rule deletion notification from the packet forwarding node 20 or the like. .

  The processing rule database 18 stores at least one processing rule.

  The node communication unit 19 communicates with each of the packet forwarding nodes 20. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the node communication unit 19 communicates with the packet forwarding node 20 using the OpenFlow protocol of Non-Patent Document 2. However, the communication protocol between the node communication unit 19 and the packet forwarding node 20 is not limited to the open flow protocol.

  The control device 10 as described above is, for example, a configuration in which the revocation condition management unit 11 is added to the OpenFlow controller of Non-Patent Document 2, and the route / action calculation unit 15 is changed to generate a processing rule including a revocation condition. It is also possible to realize with.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of each of the packet forwarding nodes 20 in FIG. Each of the packet forwarding nodes 20 includes a forwarding processing unit 21, a table database (table DB) 22, a processing rule management unit 23, an expiration condition update unit 24, and a communication unit 25. Note that the communication terminal 30 may have the same configuration as the packet forwarding node 20.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the transfer processing unit 21 includes a table search unit 210 and an action execution unit 211. The table retrieval unit 210 retrieves a processing rule having a match field that matches the received packet from the table stored in the table DB 22. The action execution unit 211 performs packet processing according to the processing content indicated in the instruction field of the processing rule searched by the table search unit 210.

  If the processing rule having a match field that matches the received packet is not found, the transfer processing unit 21 notifies the processing rule management unit 23 to that effect. When the processing rule having a match field that matches the received packet stipulates that the inquiry to the control device 10 be made as a packet processing method, the transfer processing unit 21 notifies the processing rule management unit 23. Also good. The processing rule management unit 23 receives a notification from the transfer processing unit 21 and makes an inquiry to the control device 10 via the communication unit 25.

  The transfer processing unit 21 updates the processing rule statistical information (Counters) registered in the table DB 22 in accordance with the packet processing. The transfer processing unit 21 may obtain a statistical value from statistical information (Counters) corresponding to each of a plurality of processing rules. For example, the transfer processing unit 21 calculates the statistical value by adding the statistical information corresponding to each of the plurality of processing rules, and the processing rule management unit 23 compares the statistical value with the revocation condition of each processing rule. It is determined whether each processing rule is valid. Further, for example, the transfer processing unit 21 calculates a statistical value from statistical information corresponding to a processing rule corresponding to a predetermined condition among the processing rules stored in the table DB 22. For example, the transfer processing unit 21 calculates a statistical value from statistical information corresponding to a processing rule for processing a packet input from a predetermined port or a processing rule for outputting a packet to a predetermined port.

  The table DB 22 is constituted by, for example, a database that can store one or more tables referred to when the transfer processing unit 21 processes received packets.

  FIG. 8 is an example of a table set in the table DB 22 of the packet forwarding node 20. In the example of FIG. 8, a processing rule for realizing communication between the communication terminal 30 of FIG. 5 and the server (Server) 40 is set. For example, in the header field of a packet addressed from the communication terminal 30 to the server (Server) 40, the IP address of the communication terminal 30 is set as the source IP address, and the IP address of the server (Server) 40 is set as the destination IP address. Is set. For this reason, when receiving a packet addressed to the server (Server) 40 from the communication terminal 30, the table search unit 210 of the packet forwarding node 20 adapts the second processing rule from the top of the table of FIG. 8 to the received packet. Search as a processing rule. Then, the action execution unit 211 of the packet forwarding node 20 forwards the received packet from the port connected to the packet forwarding node 20 in accordance with the contents indicated in the instruction field. Note that, for example, when there is no processing rule corresponding to the received packet or when “Instructions” defined in the processing rule is an inquiry to the control device 10, the packet forwarding node 20 sends a processing rule to the control device 10. Request setting of.

  Similarly, for example, in the header field of a packet addressed to the communication terminal 30 from the server (Server) 40, the IP address of the server (Server) 40 is set as the source IP address, and the destination IP address of the communication terminal 30 is set. An IP address is set. For this reason, when a packet addressed to the communication terminal 30 is received from the server (Server) 40, the table search unit 210 of the packet forwarding node 20 adapts the first processing rule from the top of the table of FIG. 8 to the received packet. Search as a processing rule. Then, the action execution unit 211 of the packet forwarding node 20 forwards the received packet from the port connected to the communication terminal 30 in accordance with the contents indicated in the instruction field. The packet forwarding node 20 sets a processing rule for the control device 10 when there is no processing rule corresponding to the received packet or when “Instructions” defined in the processing rule is an inquiry to the control device 10. Request.

  In the example of FIG. 8, values (threshold values) corresponding to the traffic such as 100 Mbytes and 10 Mbytes are set as the revocation conditions for each processing rule. In the example of FIG. 8, the unit of the statistical value that is a threshold value for deleting the processing rule is defined in bytes, but the number of packets can also be used. In addition, in the statistical information (Counters), when the statistical information is managed in other units such as bits, other units such as the bits may be used.

  The processing rule management unit 23 is means for managing the tables held in the table DB 22. Specifically, the processing rule management unit 23 registers the processing rule instructed from the control device 10 in the table DB 22. Also, the processing rule management unit 23 requests the control device 10 to set a processing rule for processing the received packet in response to the notification from the transfer processing unit 21 that a new packet has been received. .

  In addition, the processing rule management unit 23 refers to the revocation condition of the processing rule and the statistical information (Counters) included in each table, and the statistical value indicated in the statistical information is set as the revocation condition of the processing rule. When the threshold value is exceeded, the processing rule is deleted or expired. For example, when the statistical information (Counters) of the first processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 8 exceeds 100 Mbytes, the processing rule management unit 23 performs an operation of deleting the processing rule. Note that the statistical information of the processing rule is updated according to the amount of packets processed according to the processing rule. Further, for example, when the statistical information (Counters) of the second processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 8 exceeds 10 Mbytes, the processing rule management unit 23 performs an operation of deleting the processing rule. Note that the statistical information of the processing rule is updated according to the amount of packets processed according to the processing rule. The processing rule management unit 23 obtains a statistical value from the statistical information of the first and second processing rules in the table illustrated in FIG. 8, and compares the statistical value with the revocation condition of each processing rule. Good. The statistical value is obtained, for example, by adding the statistical information of each processing rule. For example, when the calculated statistical value is 10 Mbytes, the statistical value matches the revocation condition of the second processing rule in the table illustrated in FIG. In this case, the second processing rule in the table is deleted.

  Further, when the statistical value matches the revocation condition, the processing rule management unit 23 may rewrite the packet processing defined by the processing rule corresponding to the revocation condition to a process of discarding the packet. Further, when the statistical value matches the revocation condition, the processing rule management unit 23 may start traffic shaping for packet processing defined by the processing rule corresponding to the revocation condition. Traffic shaping means, for example, controlling the transfer rate of a packet flow corresponding to a processing rule whose statistical value exceeds a threshold value. The control of the transfer rate means, for example, a process for delaying the packet flow or a process for controlling the transfer rate so as not to exceed a predetermined value. However, the control of the transfer rate is not limited to the process of delaying the packet flow or the process of controlling the transfer rate so as not to exceed a predetermined value.

  The revocation condition management unit 24 in the processing rule management unit 23 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule based on the revocation condition update instruction. For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 updates a statistical value set as the revocation condition in accordance with an instruction from the control device 10. The revocation condition management unit 24 updates, for example, 100 Mbytes (threshold value) that is the revocation condition of the first processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 8 to 200 Mbytes according to an instruction from the control device 10. Further, the revocation condition management unit 24 updates 10 Mbytes, which is the revocation condition of the second processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 8, to 20 Mbytes according to an instruction from the control device 10, for example. In addition, when the revocation condition is set by the number of packets, the revocation condition management unit 24 updates the number of the packets.

  The revocation condition management unit 24 may newly set a revocation condition when the revocation condition of the processing rule is not set. For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 sets a threshold value of 100 Mbytes as a revocation condition for a processing rule in which the revocation condition is not set (for example, the revocation condition is blank). Further, the revocation condition management unit 24 may update the revocation condition of the processing rule that has already expired, validate the processing rule, and resume processing of the received packet based on the processing rule.

  The revocation condition management unit 24 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule, and maintains statistical information (Counter) of the processing rule. That is, even if the revocation condition is updated, the revocation condition management unit 24 maintains the statistical information measured until the revocation condition is updated without being updated. Therefore, the transfer processing unit 21 can continuously measure statistical information even when the revocation condition is updated.

  For example, the revocation condition management unit 24 receives a revocation condition update instruction from the control device 10. Of course, it is not limited to the control device 10 that instructs the revocation condition management unit 24 to update the revocation condition. For example, the billing server shown in FIG. 4 or another device may be used. The revocation condition management unit 24 may set a new revocation condition in the table DB 22 by receiving a processing rule with an updated revocation condition from the control device 10 or the accounting server 50.

  Note that the processing rule management unit 23 deletes or invalidates the processing rule whose revocation condition has been updated by the revocation condition management unit 24 based on the renewal condition after the update. For example, when the revocation condition of the first processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 8 is updated to 200 Mbytes, the processing rule management unit 23 deletes or revokes the processing rule until the statistical information (Counters) exceeds 200 Mbytes. do not do.

  The communication unit 25 is means for realizing communication with the control device 10 that sets a processing rule in the packet forwarding node 20. In 1st Embodiment, the communication part 25 shall communicate with the control apparatus 10 using the open flow protocol of a nonpatent literature 2. As shown in FIG. However, the communication protocol between the communication unit 25 and the control device 10 is not limited to the OpenFlow protocol.

  Subsequently, an operation example of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is an example, and the operation of the present invention is not limited to the sequence of FIG. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed that the processing rule for realizing communication between the communication terminal 30 and the server (Server) 40 is not set in the packet forwarding node 20 in the initial state.

  Referring to FIG. 9, first, the communication terminal 30 makes a contract according to the communication amount with the accounting server 50. The accounting server 50 manages the contract information of the communication terminal 30 (S100 in FIG. 9).

  The accounting server 50 notifies the control device 10 of the contract information of the communication terminal 30 (S101 in FIG. 9).

  When the communication terminal 30 transmits a user packet addressed to the server (Server) 40 (S102 in FIG. 9), the packet forwarding node 20-1 that has received the packet searches the table for a processing rule having a match field that matches the received packet. To do. The packet forwarding node 20-1 finds a processing rule that matches the packet or searches for a processing rule that specifies an inquiry to the control device 10, and requests the control device 10 to set the processing rule (FIG. 9 S103; Packet-In).

  Upon receiving the processing rule setting request, the control device 10 creates a processing rule with a revocation condition (both directions) as shown in FIG. 8 in the route / action calculation unit 15 and sets it in each packet forwarding node 20. (S104 in FIG. 9; FlowMod). Here, the control device 10 determines the amount of data that the communication terminal 30 can communicate based on the contract information communicated from the accounting server 50. For example, the control device 10 determines the data amount as 100 Mbytes. The control device 10 sets the determined data amount as a revocation condition of the processing rule.

  The revocation condition management unit 11 determines whether or not the communication terminal 30 that is the transmission source of the received packet and a predetermined communication partner (for example, the server (Server) 40) can communicate based on the contract information notified from the billing server 50. It may be judged. In this case, the revocation condition management unit 11 creates a processing rule in response to determining that communication is possible.

  Further, the control device 10 instructs the packet forwarding node 20 to return the packet received in S103 and forward it to the packet forwarding node 20 (S105 in FIG. 9; Packet-Out).

  When the packet forwarding node 20-1 forwards the packet to the packet forwarding node 20-2 based on the instruction, the packet forwarding nodes 20-2 and 20-3 send the packet to the server (in accordance with the set processing rules). (Server) 40 (S106 in FIG. 9).

  The packet forwarding nodes 20-1 to 20-3 forward user packets transmitted / received between the communication terminal 30 and the server (Server) 40 in accordance with the set processing rules (S107 in FIG. 9).

  Since the communication terminal 30 communicates beyond the predetermined communication amount specified in the contract, the communication terminal 30 pays an additional fee corresponding to the additional communication amount to the billing server 50 (S108 in FIG. 9).

  The accounting server 50 notifies the control apparatus 10 of the updated contract information in response to the communication terminal 30 updating the contract (S109 in FIG. 9).

  Based on the notification of the updated contract information, the control device 10 instructs the packet forwarding node 20 to update the revocation condition of the corresponding processing rule. The packet forwarding node 20 changes the revocation condition of the processing rule in response to the revocation condition update instruction (S110 in FIG. 9). Note that the control device 10 may notify the packet forwarding node 20 of a processing rule including the updated revocation condition.

  Thereafter, the packet forwarding node 20 processes the packet according to the processing rule with the revocation condition updated (S111 in FIG. 9).

  In the first embodiment, the control device 10 has been described using an example of notifying a new revocation condition as an instruction to update the revocation condition. However, the instruction of the revocation condition instructed by the control device 10 is not limited to the new revocation condition, and may be a difference between the original revocation condition and the new revocation condition. In this case, the packet forwarding node 20 changes the revocation condition by the difference based on the difference notified from the control device.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment in which the function of the packet forwarding node described above is added to the communication terminal 30 will be described with reference to the drawings. The communication terminal 30 also corresponds to the communication device described above. For example, the communication terminal is a device having a communication function such as a mobile phone, a personal computer, or a mobile router. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system according to the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is the configuration of the communication terminal 30A. Others are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore, the differences will be mainly described below.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the communication terminal 30A. Referring to FIG. 11, the communication terminal 30A includes a plurality of application units 31-1 to 31-n. Further, the communication terminal 30A includes a protocol stack unit 32 that provides a communication function based on an arbitrary protocol to the application units 31-1 to 31-n. The communication terminal 30A includes a packet transfer function unit 33 that is connected to the protocol stack unit 32 and performs packet processing equivalent to the packet transfer node 20 of the first embodiment described above.

  The packet transfer function unit 33 performs packet processing based on a processing rule with a revocation condition set by the control device 10 as in the packet transfer node 20 of the first embodiment. As with the packet transfer node 20 of the first embodiment, the packet transfer function unit 33 includes a transfer processing unit 21, a table database (table DB) 22, a processing rule management unit 23, an expiration condition update unit 24, A communication unit 25 is provided. The packet transfer function unit 33 processes the packet output from the protocol stack unit 32 and the user traffic transferred from the packet transfer node 20-1. The packet transfer function unit 33 can also be realized by a computer program that performs the above-described packet processing by using computer hardware (memory, communication means) constituting the communication terminal 30A. The computer program may be preinstalled in the communication terminal 30A, or may be downloaded and installed from an application server (not shown).

  FIG. 12 is a specific example of a table set in the table DB inside the packet transfer function unit 33. In the example of FIG. 12, a processing rule for realizing communication between the protocol stack unit 32 in the communication terminal 30A of FIG. 11 and the server (Server) 40 is set. For example, the IP address of the communication terminal 30A is set as the source IP address in the header field of the packet addressed to the server (Server) 40 from the protocol stack unit 32 in the communication terminal 30A, and the server (Server) is set as the destination IP address. ) 40 IP addresses are set. Therefore, when a packet addressed to the server (Server) 40 is received from the protocol stack unit 32 in the communication terminal 30A, the table search unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 performs the second processing from the top of the table in FIG. The rule is found as a processing rule that matches the received packet. Then, the action execution unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 transfers the received packet from the port connected to the packet transfer node 20-1 according to the contents indicated in the instruction field. Note that the communication terminal 30A requests the control device 10 to set a processing rule when there is no processing rule corresponding to the received packet.

  Similarly, for example, in the header field of a packet addressed from the server (Server) 40 to the communication terminal 30A, the IP address of the server (Server) 40 is set as the transmission source IP address, and the communication terminal 30A has the destination IP address. An IP address is set. Therefore, when a packet addressed to the communication terminal 30A is received from the server (Server) 40, the table search unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 sets the first processing rule from the top of the table in FIG. Search for matching processing rules. Then, the action execution unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 transfers the received packet from the port connected to the protocol stack unit 32 of the communication terminal 30A according to the contents indicated in the instruction field. Note that the communication terminal 30A requests the control device to set a processing rule when there is no processing rule corresponding to the received packet.

  In the example of FIG. 12, as in the first embodiment, values (threshold values) such as 100 Mbytes and 10 Mbytes are set as the revocation conditions for each processing rule. In this case, the table management unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 deletes the processing rule when the statistical information (Counters) of the first processing rule from the top of FIG. 11 exceeds 100 Mbytes. In addition, when the statistical information (Counters) of the second processing rule from the top in FIG. 12 exceeds 10 Mbytes, the table management unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 deletes the processing rule.

  Further, the packet transfer function unit 33 obtains a statistical value from the statistical information (Counters) of the first and second processing rules in the table of FIG. 12, and compares the statistical value with the revocation condition of each processing rule. May be. The statistical value is obtained, for example, by adding the statistical information of each processing rule. For example, when the calculated statistical value is 10 Mbytes, the statistical value matches the revocation condition of the second processing rule in the table illustrated in FIG. In this case, the second processing rule in the table is deleted.

  For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 calculates a statistical value from statistical information corresponding to a processing rule corresponding to a predetermined condition among the processing rules stored in the table DB. For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 obtains a statistical value from statistical information (Counters) corresponding to a processing rule for processing a packet input from a predetermined port or a processing rule for outputting a packet to a predetermined port. calculate. When the communication terminal 30A includes a plurality of communication ports (for example, 3G communication port, WiFi communication port, WiMAX communication port, etc.), a predetermined communication port (for example, for 3G communication) among the plurality of communication ports A statistical value is calculated from statistical information (Counters) corresponding to a processing rule for transmitting and receiving a packet via a port.

  For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule based on the revocation condition update instruction from the control device 10. For example, the revocation condition management unit in the packet transfer function unit 33 sets 100 Mbytes (threshold value), which is the revocation condition of the first processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. Update to Further, for example, the packet transfer function unit 33 updates 10 Mbytes, which is the revocation condition of the second processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 12, to 20 Mbytes according to an instruction from the control device 10. Further, when the revocation condition is set by the number of packets, the packet transfer function unit 33 updates the number of the packets.

  The packet transfer function unit 33 may newly set a revocation condition when the revocation condition of the processing rule is not set. For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 sets a threshold value of 100 Mbytes as a revocation condition for a processing rule for which a revocation condition is not set (for example, the revocation condition is blank). Further, the packet transfer function unit 33 may update the revocation condition of the processing rule that has already expired, validate the processing rule, and resume the processing of the received packet according to the processing rule.

  The packet transfer function unit 33 updates the revocation condition of the processing rule, and maintains the statistical information (Counter) of the processing rule. That is, even if the revocation condition is updated, the packet transfer function unit 33 maintains the statistical information measured until the revocation condition is updated without being updated. Therefore, the transfer processing unit 21 can continuously measure statistical information even when the revocation condition is updated.

  For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 receives an instruction to update the revocation condition from the control device 10. Of course, the instruction to update the revocation condition to the packet transfer function unit 33 is not limited to the control device 10, and may be, for example, the billing server 50 or another device.

  Note that the packet transfer function unit 33 deletes or invalidates the processing rule for which the revocation condition has been updated based on the revocation condition after the update. For example, when the invalidation condition of the first processing rule from the top of the table shown in FIG. 12 is updated to 200 Mbytes, the packet transfer function unit 33 deletes or invalidates the processing rule until the statistical information (Counters) exceeds 200 Mbytes. do not do.

  The processing rules as described above may be similarly set in the packet forwarding nodes 20-1 to 20-3.

  After deleting the processing rule, the control device 10 discards the subsequent packet corresponding to the deleted processing rule to the packet transfer function unit 33 and the packet transfer nodes 20-1 to 20-3 of the communication terminal 30A. May be set. Thereby, it is possible to limit the traffic of packets whose statistical values exceed a predetermined threshold.

  In addition, after the processing rule is deleted, the control device 10 causes the packet transfer function unit 33 and the packet transfer nodes 20-1 to 20-3 to perform a new process that defines the transfer method of the subsequent packet corresponding to the deleted processing rule. A rule may be set and a traffic shaping instruction may be given to a predetermined node among the packet forwarding function unit 33 and the packet forwarding nodes 20-1 to 20-3. Traffic shaping means, for example, controlling the transfer rate of a packet flow corresponding to a processing rule whose statistical value exceeds a threshold value. The transfer rate control means, for example, a process for delaying the packet flow or a process for controlling the transfer rate so as not to exceed a predetermined value. However, the control of the transfer rate is not limited to the process of delaying the packet flow or the process of controlling the transfer rate so as not to exceed a predetermined value.

  The control device 10 notifies a predetermined node to control the transfer rate not only for the packet flow corresponding to the processing rule whose statistical value exceeds the threshold value but also for another packet flow corresponding to the packet flow. You may instruct. For example, a packet flow corresponding to a processing rule whose statistical value exceeds a threshold is a flow transmitted from the communication terminal 30A to the server (Server) 40, and another packet flow corresponding to the packet flow is a server This is a flow transmitted from (Server) 40 to communication terminal 30A.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram for explaining an operation example of the communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the packet transfer function unit 33 and the packet transfer nodes 20-1 to 20-3 of the communication terminal 30A have a process for realizing communication between the communication terminal 30A and the server (Server) 40 in the initial state. It is assumed that no rules are set.

  Referring to FIG. 13, first, the communication terminal 30 </ b> A makes a contract with the accounting server 50 according to the traffic. The accounting server 50 manages the contract information of the communication terminal 30A (S200 in FIG. 13).

  The accounting server 50 notifies the contract information of the communication terminal 30A to the control device 10 (S201 in FIG. 13).

  When the packet transfer function unit 33 of the communication terminal 30A receives a user packet addressed to the server (Server) 40 from the protocol stack unit 32, the packet transfer function unit 33 sets a processing rule having a match field that matches the received packet from the table. Search for. The packet transfer function unit 33 searches for a processing rule that does not find a processing rule that matches the packet or specifies an inquiry to the control device 10, and requests the control device 10 to set the processing rule (FIG. 13). S202; Packet-In).

  Upon receiving the processing rule setting request, the control device 10 creates a processing rule with a revocation condition (both directions) as shown in FIG. 12 in the route / action calculation unit 14 and sets it in the packet transfer function unit 33. (S203 in FIG. 13; FlowMod). Here, based on the contract information communicated from billing server 50, control device 10 determines the amount of data that communication terminal 30A can communicate with. For example, the control device 10 determines the data amount as 100 Mbytes. The control device 10 sets the determined data amount as a revocation condition of the processing rule.

  The revocation condition management unit 11 determines whether or not the communication terminal 30A that is the transmission source of the received packet and the predetermined communication partner (for example, the server (Server) 40) can communicate based on the contract information notified from the billing server 50. It may be judged. In this case, the revocation condition management unit 11 creates a processing rule in response to determining that communication is possible.

  The control device 10 instructs the packet transfer function unit 33 of the communication terminal 30A to return the packet received in S202 to the packet transfer node 20 and transfer it to the packet transfer node 20 (S204 in FIG. 13; Packet-Out). .

  When the packet forwarding function unit 33 of the communication terminal 30A forwards the packet to the packet forwarding node 20-1 based on the instruction, the packet forwarding nodes 20-1 to 20-3 follow the set processing rules. Is transferred to the server (Server) 40 (S205 in FIG. 13).

  The packet transfer nodes 20-1 to 20-3 transfer user packets transmitted and received between the communication terminal 30A and the server (Server) 40 in accordance with the set processing rules (S206 in FIG. 13).

  The communication terminal 30A pays an additional fee corresponding to the additional communication amount to the charging server 50 in order to communicate exceeding the predetermined communication amount specified in the contract (S207 in FIG. 13).

  The accounting server 50 notifies the control apparatus 10 of the updated contract information in response to the communication terminal 30A updating the contract (S208 in FIG. 13).

  Based on the notification of the updated contract information, the control device 10 instructs the packet forwarding node 20 to update the revocation condition of the corresponding processing rule. The packet forwarding node 20 changes the revocation condition of the processing rule in response to the revocation condition update instruction (S209 in FIG. 13). Note that the control device 10 may notify the packet forwarding node 20 of a processing rule including the updated revocation condition.

  Thereafter, the packet forwarding node 20 processes the packet according to the processing rule with the revocation condition updated (S210 in FIG. 13).

  As described above, the present invention can also be realized by a configuration example in which the packet transfer function unit 33 is built in the communication terminal 30A side. In addition, compared with the first embodiment described above, this embodiment can perform flow control such as packet discard inside the communication terminal, so that the traffic flowing to the packet forwarding node 20 is reduced, and the packet forwarding node 20 and the load on the control device 10 can be reduced. In addition, although the configuration example in which the revocation condition is included in the processing rule is shown, the revocation condition may be set in the communication terminal 30A separately from the processing rule.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment in which a configuration example of the control device is changed will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control device 10A according to the third embodiment. The difference from the control devices of the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that the revocation condition management unit 11 is replaced with a contract information management unit 11A. Others are the same as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and thus the differences will be mainly described below.

  The contract information management unit 11A of the present embodiment manages the contract information of the communication terminal 30, and generates a revocation condition with reference to the contract information in response to a request from the route / action calculation unit 15. Alternatively, the contract information may be provided to the route / action calculation unit 15 so that the route / action calculation unit 15 may use the contract information for route calculation. For example, if the user of the communication terminal 30 has a contract that allows communication with the server (Server) 40 with an upper limit of 10 Mbytes, the contract information management unit 11A sets 10 Mbytes as an expiration condition in the route / action calculation unit 15 Notify you to create a processing rule. In this case, the contract information management unit 11A may notify to create a plurality of processing rules in which 10 Mbytes are set as the revocation condition.

  Further, when the processing rule is not deleted due to the revocation condition and communication is terminated due to a timeout, a communication end notification from the communication terminal 30, a logout operation, or the like, the control device 10A provides statistical information on the corresponding processing rule. (Counters) may be collected, and the remaining communicable statistics of the user of the communication terminal 30 may be recorded in the contract information management unit 11A.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first and second embodiments, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to flexibly set the revocation condition based on the contract information.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The difference from the first to third embodiments described above is that the table has a first table for storing a processing rule for processing a packet and a predetermined condition for referring to the first table. It is divided into the second table to be managed. Others are the same as those in the first to third embodiments, and thus the differences will be mainly described below.

  The packet transfer function unit 33 of the communication terminal 30A and the transfer processing unit 21 of the packet transfer node 20 are for processing packets based on a predetermined condition managed by the second table (for example, Table 0 in FIG. 15). It is determined whether or not the first table (for example, Table 1 in FIG. 15) storing the processing rule can be referred to. The predetermined condition is determined based on, for example, the amount of communication or the time that has elapsed since the processing rule was set in the first table. However, the predetermined condition is not limited to the communication amount or the elapsed time.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table set in the packet transfer function unit 33 in a configuration in which the packet transfer function unit 33 is provided in the communication terminal 30A as illustrated in FIG. The upper table (Table 0) in FIG. 15 manages the processing amount of packets according to a predetermined processing rule stored in the lower table (Table 1) as a predetermined condition (for example, an expiration condition of Table 0). In FIG. 15, a processing amount of “100 Mbytes” is defined as an expiration condition that is an example of a predetermined condition. For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 includes a processing rule (first entry of Table 1) corresponding to a packet flow transmitted from the server (Server) 40 to the communication terminal 30A, and the communication terminal 30A to the server (Server). The processing amount of the packet according to the processing rule (second entry of Table 1) corresponding to the packet flow transmitted to 40 is measured as a statistical value (Counters of Table 0). Note that the method for selecting the processing rule to be the statistical value management target is arbitrary, and is not limited to the method for selecting based on the destination / source of the packet flow as described above.

  In the example of FIG. 15, the table (Table 0) has a processing rule in which processing contents (Goto Table 1) that allow processing by the lower table (Table 1) in FIG. 15 are determined until the statistical value exceeds 100 Mbytes. Is set.

  The upper table (Table 0) in FIG. 15 may measure, as a predetermined condition, the time that has elapsed since a predetermined processing rule was set in the lower table (Table 1) as a statistical value.

  In the example of FIG. 15, only one entry is set in the upper table (Table 0), but a plurality of entries may be set. For example, when the packet transfer node 20 transfers a packet transmitted / received by a plurality of communication terminals 30A, Table 0 of the packet transfer node 20 may hold a plurality of entries corresponding to each of the plurality of communication terminals 30A. . In this case, a condition for the communication terminal 30A corresponding to the entry is set as the revocation condition of each entry. Further, the statistical value for each communication terminal 30A corresponding to the entry is stored in the statistical value (Counters) of each entry. For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 identifies the communication terminal 30A with reference to the source address of the packet flow, and stores the statistical value in the corresponding entry of Table 0.

  On the other hand, in the lower table (Table 1) in FIG. 15, as an example, a processing rule for realizing communication between the protocol stack unit 32 in the communication terminal 30A and the server (Server) 40 is set. Note that the revocation condition is not set in the lower table (Table 1) in FIG.

  The packet transfer function unit 33 of the communication terminal 30A and the processing rule management unit 23 of the packet transfer node 20 have the table value when the statistical value satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, when the processing amount exceeds a predetermined threshold). A predetermined process is executed with respect to the process rule stored in 1. For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 and the table management unit 12 execute a process of deleting the processing rule of Table 1 and a process of rewriting the packet processing method defined in the processing rule to a packet discard.

  For example, the packet transfer function unit 33 of the communication terminal 30A and the processing rule management unit 23 of the packet transfer node 20 update the revocation condition of the processing rule based on an instruction to update the revocation condition from the control device 10, for example. The packet transfer function unit 33 and the processing rule management unit 23 update, for example, a predetermined condition (for example, a revocation condition of Table 0) in the upper table (Table 0) in FIG. In the example of FIG. 15, the packet transfer function unit 33 and the processing rule management unit 23 update 100 Mbytes, which is the revocation condition in the upper table (Table 0) of FIG. 15, to 200 Mbytes according to an instruction from the control device 10. . Further, when the revocation condition is set by the number of packets, the packet transfer function unit 33 updates the number of the packets.

  According to the present embodiment having the two tables as described above, even if the revocation condition is satisfied, the processing rule may be deleted from the upper flow control table in FIG. There is an advantage that it is not necessary to update the packet processing table. Even if the communication terminal 30A updates the contract, the processing rule revocation condition may be updated from the upper flow control table in FIG. 15, and the lower packet processing table in FIG. 15 is updated. There is an advantage that there is no need to do. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce the management load of the processing rules of the communication terminal 30A, the packet forwarding node 20, and the control device 10.

  Each embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments are made without departing from the basic technical idea of the present invention. Can do. The present invention also includes embodiments in which the embodiments are arbitrarily combined.

  For example, the numbers and connection configurations of the packet forwarding node 20, the control device 10, the communication terminal 30, the server (Server) 40, and the billing server 50 shown in each of the above embodiments are shown for the purpose of briefly explaining the present invention. These numbers and connection configurations can be changed as appropriate. Each embodiment refers to OpenFlow, which is a related technology, but the present invention is not limited to using OpenFlow. For example, not only the open flow but also a communication architecture in which the control device centrally controls the packet transfer path can be applied to the present invention.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the processing rule deletion determination using the processing rule revocation condition is performed after the transfer of the packet using the processing rule. However, the table management unit performs processing at a predetermined time interval. A rule deletion determination may be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the processing rule is deleted using the revocation condition of the processing rule. However, the processing content of the processing rule may be rewritten to packet discard (Drop) or the like.

  Each disclosure of the above-mentioned patent document and non-patent document is incorporated herein by reference. Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiment can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. Various combinations and selections of various disclosed elements are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if there is no specific description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10A Control apparatus 11 Revocation condition management part 11A Contract information management part 12 Communication terminal position management part 13 Topology management part 14 Control message processing part 15 Path | route / action calculation part 16 Packet forwarding node management part 17 Processing rule management part 18 Processing rule Database 19 Node communication unit 20 20-1, 20-2, 20-3 Packet transfer node 21 Transfer processing unit 22 Table database (DB)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 Processing rule management part 24 Revocation condition management part 25 Communication part 30, 30A Communication terminal 31-1 to 31-N Application part 32 Protocol stack part 33 Packet transfer function part 40 Server (Server)
50 Billing server 210 Table search unit 211 Action execution unit

Claims (18)

A packet processing unit for processing a packet corresponding to the processing rule based on the processing rule set by the control device;
A transfer processing unit that measures a statistical value obtained from the processing amount according to the processing rule;
A processing rule management unit that determines whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the statistical value and the determination condition ,
The processing rule management unit determines whether or not the processing rule is valid according to the updated judgment condition in response to the update of the judgment condition, and after determining that the processing rule is not valid, the processing rule while maintaining the statistics, communication apparatus according to claim Rukoto allowed to continue measurement of the statistical value. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the processing rule management unit determines whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the statistical value continuously measured and the updated determination condition. . The determination condition includes a threshold value,
The processing rule management unit determines whether or not the processing rule is valid according to the determination condition in which the threshold is updated, according to the update of the determination condition. Communication equipment.   The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing rule management unit invalidates a processing rule whose statistical value exceeds the threshold value.   5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing rule management unit requests a new processing rule from the control device for a packet corresponding to the invalid processing rule.   6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing rule management unit determines whether the processing rule is valid based on the determination condition updated based on predetermined information. .   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing rule management unit determines whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the determination condition updated based on billing information. The determination condition includes a threshold value,
The threshold value is updated so that the amount of processing allowed by the processing rule increases due to additional charging.
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing rule management unit monitors whether or not the statistical value exceeds the threshold value. The communication device processes a packet corresponding to the processing rule based on the processing rule set by the control device,
Measure the statistical value obtained from the processing amount by the processing rule,
Based on the statistical value and the determination condition, determine whether the processing rule is valid,
In response to the update of the determination condition, determine whether the processing rule is valid according to the updated determination condition ,
Even after determining that the processing rule is not valid, the communication control method is characterized in that the statistical value of the processing rule is maintained and measurement of the statistical value is continued . Continue to based on said updated determined conditions measured the statistical value, the communication control method according to claim 9, wherein the processing rules to determine valid or not. The communication device determines whether the processing rule is valid according to the determination condition in which the threshold is updated in response to an update of the determination condition including a threshold. 9 or 10 communication control method. 12. The communication control method according to claim 11, wherein the communication device invalidates a processing rule in which the statistical value exceeds the threshold value. 13. The communication control method according to claim 12, wherein the communication device requests a new processing rule from the control device for a packet corresponding to the invalid processing rule. The communication control method according to claim 9, wherein the communication apparatus determines whether the processing rule is valid based on the determination condition updated based on predetermined information.   The communication control method according to claim 9, wherein the communication apparatus determines whether the processing rule is valid based on the determination condition updated based on billing information. The communication device updates the threshold value included in the determination condition so that the amount of processing allowed by the processing rule increases due to additional charging,
16. The communication control method according to claim 9, wherein whether or not the statistical value exceeds the threshold value is monitored. A control device for generating packet processing rules;
A communication system comprising: a communication device;
The communication device, based on a processing rule set from the control device, a packet processing unit that processes a packet corresponding to the processing rule;
A transfer processing unit that measures a statistical value obtained from the processing amount according to the processing rule;
A processing rule management unit that determines whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the statistical value and the determination condition,
The processing rule management unit determines whether or not the processing rule is valid according to the updated judgment condition in response to the update of the judgment condition, and after determining that the processing rule is not valid, the processing rule communication system while maintaining the statistics, and wherein the Rukoto allowed to continue measurement of the statistical value. Based on a processing rule set by the control device, a communication device that processes a packet corresponding to the processing rule,
A process of measuring a statistical value obtained from a processing amount according to the processing rule;
A process for determining whether or not the processing rule is valid based on the statistical value and the determination condition;
A process of determining whether or not the processing rule is valid according to the updated determination condition in response to the update of the determination condition;
A program for executing a process of maintaining the statistical value of the processing rule and continuing the measurement of the statistical value even after determining that the processing rule is not valid .

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